The Navy SEAL Who Gave All in Yemen | The Daily Beast

The yearbook photo shows William Ryan Owens, catcher with the Illinois Valley Central High School’s Grey Ghosts baseball team in an instant of teenage glory.

“Ryan Owens saved the game with a great catch,” the caption reads.

But even then, Owens—known to all as Ryan—had his heart and mind set on one day helping to save much more than a game as part of a team that is elite in a way not measured by money or social connections.Even then, he would be up early in the morning to train for the time when he would have a chance to become a Navy SEAL.